


Is it real?

by ConventionalScarlet (FrerardCake)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, Alternate Universe - No Powers, ColdFlash Week 2018, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, M/M, day three
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2018-10-02
Packaged: 2019-07-24 09:18:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,582
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16172156
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FrerardCake/pseuds/ConventionalScarlet
Summary: How can you know if it's real if you never had a choice?October 2, Day Three, Arranged Marriage/Betrothed AU.





	Is it real?

**Author's Note:**

> For day 3 I did a very interesting experiment and I hope it turned out at least okay. Like most others this week I might be coming back to it at a later date.  
> Hope you guys enjoy this and yes, the dates are supposed to confuse you.

**January 14th.**

Leonard Snart had been a little over two years old when Barry Allen was born. Even though he wouldn’t remember what happened on this day, his parents had told him about it anyway. The boy was to be Len’s, whatever way he would want him in the future.

 

**January 14th.**

Len enjoyed Barry’s 8th birthday the best he could after the things his father told him on the way there. 

He couldn’t believe that the young boy who had been his friend for so many years, with no malice at all, had been promised to him at birth. He thought it was so disgusting and absolutely something his father would do, even though his stepmother said it was normal, that every future King had someone promised to them… One or two someones, picked by their father for political reasons.

Still, he couldn’t quite bring himself to look at Barry the same way he always did that day. When Barry asked him for help climbing a tree, Len felt like he shouldn’t even be touching the boy, that just by looking at him he was taking away everything good and innocent about the young Prince Allen. 

Of course that once the party was over and Len and Barry were the only two kids left at the party, hiding away to eat what was left of the cake before the army of maids came to clean up, Len tried to come clean and tell Barry why their parents made sure they spent time together and like each other, why they would spend so many hours having playdates as little kids, always under the watchful eye of their fathers.

“Mommy told me,” Barry said with a mouthful of cake, “we’ll be kings together or something like that.” 

“What if I don’t want you as a king by my side?” He shot, honestly trying to get a rise out of the boy.

Barry simply shrugged, “I’ll be your friend, Lenny.” 

 

**October 31st**

“Boo!” 

Barry had betrayed himself by giggling before he jumped out at Len but he wasn’t about to be the one to tell him that and ruin the fun out of the 10-year-old’s halloween. 

“Shit!” Len gasped pretending to be scared.

Barry shook his head and took off his mask a moment before he stepped fully inside Leonard’s room, his ghost costume flowing with the wind as he closed the door.

Len didn’t even bother covering his black eye with makeup today or any other bruise. Zombie was the costume he decided for this Halloween. Little Lisa was going as a little zombie killer just to match him. 

“You should not say those words, Lenny.” Barry smiled and climbed up to on Len’s bed, the little plastic pumpkin he was carrying for candy was dropped to the floor the second his knees hit the bed.

“Well… I don’t care. Did your parents bring you over to trick or treat with Lisa and me?” 

“Mom and dad are busy tonight with a dance or something boring like that… So Joe brought me,” he started going through his pockets under the white dress he wore to act as a ghost’s body, “I brought you something.” 

He ate the candy bar and put the plastic wrap in the trash by his bed. 

Later that night when they came back with pounds of candy (because wearing those crowns on their heads, like they had to in public by some stupid old law always got them a little extra candy) he got the plastic wrap out of the trash and stashed it away for sentimental reasons. He'd never admit that.

**April 7th.**

Barry enjoyed cooking. He knew it wasn't his place to do so and also knew his own food wasn't as tasty, but every time he went over to Len's castle, where rules were so different from his own, he always managed to sneak in while Len was fixing himself a snack. 

He thought it was fun to see your food being made and even more to make it yourself. 

“Why do you watch me make sandwiches, Barry?” Len asked as he fixed a sandwich for each and one smaller one for his sister. 

Barry shrugged and reached for a cookie from the jar just to end up getting a  _ look  _ from Len. He dropped the cookie back and turned back to watching him make food. 

“I can't do it back home… And cooking looks fun” 

“Well… it's an important skill to have… I can teach you some day.”

“When we get married you can teach me!” He smiled wide and brushed his hair back, making a mental note to have it cut. 

He thought for a second that he saw something on Len's face but couldn't be sure because his  sitter walked in and started freaking out at Barry being in a kitchen. 

“A Prince should not be cooking, Prince Bartholomew!” 

 

**May 25th.**

“Lenny,” Barry said while jumping up on Leonard’s bed without a care in the world, muddy shoes leaving marks on the floor all the way from the flower bed outside.

“Barry, I’m studying.” Len sighed and made a really slow and annoyed gesture of closing his book and turning his attention to the smaller boy on his bed. 

“I heard you and Mick have a sleepover planned for tonight,” Barry started, kicking off his shoes just as one of Len’s maids walked in to clean up the muddy mess,” and I was not invited.” 

“Invited you were not,” Len nodded and reached over to take off Barry’s dirty socks too and throw them on the floor along with the mess.

Barry shook his head and let Len get rid of his socks, the clear hurt showing on his face, “I thought… I thought we were friends.” 

“Sometimes I just want to hang out with boys my own age, Barry.” 

Barry didn’t tell Len he was the only friend he had and the only boy he had as a friend, he also didn’t tell him he hated taking off his socks outside of his own room. That day Barry let Len go back to his studies and even pretended to study alongside him just to enjoy his company.  

 

**January 14th.**

Barry Allen was never one to act the part. Len remembered Prince Malcolm was the polite and charming one, the future King Allen, the one who would care about every little detail at a party (his mother eye for details, he remembered his father saying with a jealous tone). Prince Malcolm was the golden child and Prince Bartholomew was… easily mistaken for a peasant if it weren't for all the royal family appearances. 

Muddy shoes, ripped pants, ink all over his hands from the markers he loved to draw with… and the list could go on forever. 

Len's betrothed was full of life and innocence. 

Which was why Len thought it was so funny that Barry simply wouldn't stop complaining about the shape the curtain had been tied. 

“I said a bow. Does that look like a bow to you, Leonard?” He sighed, sitting down next to Len and immediately dropping his head in his hands. 

“Your birthday is ruined, ” he joked, “how are you going to receive guests and… not have bows on the courtains.”

“I know you're being sarcastic, but tonight has to be perfect. Prince Queen is coming.”

“From Starling?” 

“Yes. I heard he made Princess Laurel cry because there were too many shades of pink on her 16th birthday.”

“The blond asshole is not going to say a thing about your party, Barry. It's perfect.”

“Language, Prince Snart.” Barry's nanny said sharply in the oh so familiar tone she had becomes accustomed to using around him over the years.

Maybe it was because Barry went on and on about Prince Oliver Queen and how charming he was and how everything had to be perfect so he wouldn't feel offended. Maybe it was the way that blond looked at Barry or the words he whispered to others when Barry wasn't around to hear, but that night Len stood in front of all the guests and announced he'd officially accept King Allen's son to wed as soon as he reached the age of 18. 

He got a few bruises that night for jumping the gun on that, but knowing Barry would remember that day forever as a good day was more than worth it. 

 

**December 25th.**

“Have you notice the way things have been different between us since you talked to your father about me?” Barry said while they read together in Barry’s library that Christmas afternoon after the big public lunch they had to have every single year on Christmas. 

“You mean the constant watchful eyes all around us?” He side glanced at the security guard who just happened to be searching for books on 16th-century war. 

Barry nodded and turned the page on his book, some recreational book on forensics Len had given him for Christmas, “I just don’t get it… Nothing has changed.” 

Len turned the page of his own book, this one on the far less interesting topic of public relations and looked at Barry’s sweet and innocent face looking right back at him, either not fully understanding what all of this meant or not wanting to understand. 

“Not between us, no.” 

“Then?” 

“You’ve been skipping on your readings, haven’t you?” 

“I know I’m nothing but a token of good will on my father’s part, an offering to end the war with your father. I know that, Lenny. I just choose to ignore it because we’re friends.” 

“We’re officially courting now, Barry. We must be proper and coy and have someone always keeping an eye on us to make sure we’re not doing anything wrong. Then once this is over we get married and wait for my father to die.” 

“This is fun, isn’t it?” He rolled his eyes.

 

**December 31st.**

Barry had never in his life argued with his parents or anyone else. The King and the Queen had the final word… but this time he didn't fight only his father and mother but also  _ King Snart himself _ . 

It had been such a spur of the moment decision brought on by teenage rebellion (as Len would explain later). 

Whatever it was, he argued with his parents, went over to Len's and ended up fighting Len’s father… because it wasn't fair that he had to follow so many rules, rules other kids his age didn't have to follow at all. He grew up knowing he had been promised to Leonard Snart. He grew up around him too, like best friend and now were officially courting, which no other teenager had to do. It was unfair all his decisions had been made for him and the one thing he wanted, a new year’s kiss from his future husband, was apparently not allowed. So fuck that. 

He got the kiss he wanted at midnight and later while watching the fireworks with Len's arms around his shoulders he told him the whole story, getting the most gorgeous smile in return, “Barry, teenage rebellion won't take you anywhere. We gotta play by the rules if we ever plan on changing them.”

“I just wanted to kiss my boyfriend at midnight. That's not illegal.”

“Fiance, ” Len corrected, “and you were supposed to welcome the new year with your parents.” 

“My brother can do it. I'm not even the crown Prince.”

Barry thought he could hear Len's eyes rolling. 

“But you're the promised one.”

“The last valuable one” 

“Don't say that. You're the most important to me.” 

 

**January 14th**

Barry’s 17th birthday was less than half of what his 16th was. He had Len, Lisa and their father over for a nice dinner cellebration.

Len and Barry always had always sat next to each other since they were still stuck sitting at the children’s table. 

Now they had to sit accross from each other. 

Barry’s parents were still mad at Barry’s little new year’s rebellion and had upped the security when the boys were around each other. They were still the same and so was their relationship, yet everyone around them acted like they were two different people now. 

Barry honestly couldn’t wait until they finally got married and things went back to normal. 

 

**December 24th**

“You’ll be 18 in less than a month,” Len said as he casually crossed his legs, eyes focused on the glass of wine in front of him. 

“And we’ll be married in less than two… And the war will finally end…” Barry smiled so innocently over at Len.

“It is supposed to,” Len nodded slowly, making Barry wonder if maybe the third glass of wine was a bad idea. 

“Well, when you are King I’m sure it will-” 

“Remember when we were kids… and you learned how to read and would make your nanny bring you over just so you could sit with me and read while I studied?” 

“Yeah…” 

“Why did you?”

Barry turned to look at his fiance and reached to take the glass from his hand, figuring he was maybe in a little too deep for any more alcohol.

“Because you were my only friend…” He frowned, “Malcolm didn’t play with me, he had to study and he was too old anyway to want to play at all… And you were nice and my friend and we grew up together. Why?” 

“Did you ever feel like you didn’t have a choice in this?” 

“Don’t be silly, Len… I love-” 

“My whole kingdom will be yours… Promise me you’ll help me be a good ruler.” 

Barry nodded and touched Len’s shoulder, “You will be that on your own, Lenny.” 

Lisa walked in the room with her long green dress almost floating behind her and all conversation stopped just so they could pay attention to her beauty. 

For a second Barry wished he had that kind of effect on people.

 

**February 10th**

_ “Dear Prince Bartholomew,  _

_ Since it is bad luck to see each other on our wedding day or something like that, I’m writing to you for the first time in all these years we’ve known each other. I honestly appreciate your loyalty to me and it will be repaid in the years to come, I promise you.  _

_ We still have so many details to figure out about our lives, futile ones like what color will be our room, what will be the fabric of our sheets (I have always had a preference for the cheap things), the room we will call ours and will we ever have children (and how). Details. _

_ I want you to know that as a wedding gift I’ll spare you all the fake smiles. I booked the tickets for our honeymoon so we’ll be away from everything soon. The first private conversation we’ll probably have in years.  _

_ Please, make sure your shoes aren’t muddy. I had the castle built just for our honeymoon and would appreciate it if the floors were clean for at least a day so I can appreciate them.  _

_ All jokes aside, I can barely wait to see you today.  _

_ This might have started as our parents mixing and matching us as if we were toys and not people, completely out of our hands but I know now and have no doubt that I wouldn’t choose anyone else.  _

_ I love you too, Barry.  _

_ Crown Prince Leonard Snart of Keystone.” _

Barry would never admit his heart skipped a beat.


End file.
